Digital switchover dates for 2013

25 June 2012

The Minister for Broadband, Communication and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy has announced the dates that the markets that still have analogue television services will convert to digital-only transmission during 2013.

The proposed schedule will see Melbourne as potentially the last market in Australia to have access to analogue television, with Sydney switching to digital-only television a week earlier.

The Minister has also asked the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to consider switchover dates for Remote and Regional Western Australia (25 June 2013) and Remote Central and Eastern Australia (10 December 2013).

Some remote or ‘self-help’ transmission sites within the above markets may have to have analogue services shutdown ahead of the proposed dates. These are to be advised.

Northern NSW, including the major centres of Newcastle, Tamworth and Richmond-Tweed, will lose analogue transmissions on 27 November this year.

According to the latest Digital Tracker survey around 82% of Australian households (within the markets that still have analogue-digital simulcast) have already converted at least their main television receiver to digital.